Xi’s memorable remarks on Shanghai Spirit, SCO cooperation

BEIJING. — In his remarks delivered at the 2015-17 summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Chinese President Xi Jinping called on SCO members to uphold the Shanghai Spirit, embrace openness and enhance cooperation in various fields.

The following are memorable quotes from Xi’s remarks:

Upholding Shanghai Spirit

Speaking at the 17th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2017, Xi said: “Firmly committed to the Shanghai Spirit, SCO member states are making solid progress on the road of building a community of shared future, thus establishing a fine example of the new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation.”

“The Shanghai Spirit has inspired a strong sense of solidarity which ensures the growth of the SCO. We should carry forward this fine tradition of solidarity and coordination,” Xi said.

Speaking at the 16th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in the Uzbek capital Tashkent in 2016, Xi praised the remarkable achievements of the regional bloc since its establishment 15 years ago.

The first of the achievements is that the SCO has advocated and put into practice the Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development, said the Chinese president.

Speaking at the 15th Meeting of Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Ufa, Russia in 2015, Xi said: “Featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respecting diverse civilizations and seeking common development, the Shanghai Spirit has over the past 15 years underpinned the SCO’s development and represents the trend in contemporary international relations.”

“It is my conviction that by upholding the Shanghai Spirit and acting with unity and mutual support, we will surely enable the SCO to grow from strength and make new strides in a new historical stage,” he said.

Embracing openness

“Openness has been a defining feature of the SCO since its inception. China supports the SCO in carrying out cooperation of various forms and in a broad range of areas with its observer states and dialogue partners as well as other countries, and in further reviewing the applications from the related countries for legal status in the SCO in accordance with its regulations and the principle of consensus,” said Xi at the 2017 summit.

In 2016, Xi said that members of the SCO have worked to build political mutual trust and firmly

supported each other’s independent development paths.

The SCO should remain open and transparent without targeting any third party, engage all like-minded international partners in wide-ranging cooperation and act as a constructive force for the healthy development of the international order, said the Chinese leader.

The SCO should continue to uphold openness and inclusiveness and get more parties on board, Xi said.

In 2015, Xi said: “We should uphold international equity and justice, promote multilateralism and openness, respect each other’s interests, refrain from interfering in other country’s internal affairs, settle disputes through peaceful means and seek common development and prosperity with a win-win approach.”

Enhancing security and other cooperation

At the 2017 meeting, Xi said: “At present, the international and regional situation is undergoing profound and complex changes. Destabilizing factors and uncertainties are on the rise. Only through cooperation can countries properly meet threats and challenges. China is willing to work together with all parties to strengthen the sense of community with a shared future, and build a common home of security, stability, development and prosperity.”

“It is important for SCO countries to bring our people, youth in particular, closer to each other, so that the good-neighborliness and cooperation between us will be carried forward by the future generations,” said Xi.

In 2015, Xi said: “Upholding security and stability in our region is a common concern for all member states. The SCO has the responsibility to prevent instability, forestall the spread of terrorist and religious extremist ideologies and stop forces with hidden agenda from undermining peace and stability in our region.”

“We should take strong measures to advance counter-terrorism, drug control and defense cooperation, increase SCO security operation capacity, and strengthen the network of law enforcement cooperation,” Xi said.

“To seek new growth areas and improve people’s livelihood is a major task for SCO member states. On the basis of promoting mutual benefit, the SCO should encourage its member states to create more cooperation opportunities and strive for early harvest in regional economic cooperation,” he said.

“We should take even bigger steps to promote trade and investment facilitation and liberalization. It is important for us to expand trade volume, improve trade structure, adopt common measures, and harmonize business, customs, quality inspection and transport policies,” he added.

At the 2016 summit, Xi said the SCO countries have also greatly strengthened their cooperation in trade, business, finance, energy and transportation, among other areas.

The SCO also needs to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges as the foundation for future development, Xi said, adding that China is willing to support other member states in archaeology studies and restoring historical sites, as well as communicate and cooperate in such fields as youth, health care and environmental protection. – Xinhua